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Title: Turning a new page for tomorrow...Updated - GREAT! Post by Lizzie2 on Mar 23rd, 2006, 2:43pm Probably seems to you all that this is the same $hit, different day, when I make posts like this, but if you can spare a few good thoughts for me for tomorrow, it would be much appreciated! Tonight is my last night shift to work for awhile as my boss and the other RN who does scheduling for the unit had altered my schedule for April so that I work all day shift except for 2 night shifts near the end of the month. Tomorrow morning, I have 3 appts after I get off work (this is part of the reason why I needed to go to day shift...because all these appts means I don't sleep! 6 this week....) My 3rd appt tomorrow is at 10:30 with a new internal medicine doc. This seems like a big deal to me because I've been going to the same family med doctor since I was 12. He's a family friend at this point. He has twin daughters who used to take piano lessons from the same piano teacher I had before college. He has been very supportive of me through all of the various medical issues I've had to go through... However, one of the big problems I keep running into is that he never wants to treat anything. He is constantly sending me off to specialist after specialist, and he always says that he doesn't feel comfortable treating certain things (even when they seem simple) because I've had so many complications. My family doc also says things like, "If you could pick one issue for me to focus on as the one bothering you the MOST right now, what would that be?" That's hard because there isn't just one thing, and I feel that it's important to try to look at all the pieces in order to solve the puzzle... So, in the end, I wind up going to all these different specialists. Each one focuses on their specific problem. Not one of them looks at all of my blood work and pieces every issue together. I do not have one doctor to coordinate all aspects of my health care. I feel like if I did have a doc who would do this, then maybe we'd find a select underlying issue or two that is playing a factor in many health problems. Instead of chasing my tail treating symptom after symptom with a list of specialists that only a 90 year old grandma has, I would like to try to look at my medical history, current concerns/issues, and try to see if any of these things are related to one another. Kind of like protecting the whole china doll instead of gluing back all the pieces that break off. LOL So - I worked last night, but still haven't gotten to sleep yet. I had a neuro appt after work this morning. Then I came home and had to do a rather lengthy homework assignment for my class on Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse. Then, I was answering some survey stuff for my membership to the American Headache Society. And THEN, I spent a few hours compiling a word document of my current and past medical history so that I can give this to the new doc tomorrow and won't have to piece-meal everything together when the entire story would not only be difficult to remember, but also take too much time for me to speak about in one appt! I figure if I give her this typed up history, then maybe she can glance over the highlights and take a look at it later if she wants, but at least I'll have given her all of my pertinent medical history. So I included current meds, meds I take as needed, current medical conditions, surgical history, hospitalizations, past medical history (highlighting the big stuff by age...), medications I've tried in the past and what I took them for, and finally a reference sheet for myself with a list of issues I'd like to discuss with her tomorrow - namely, her coordinating my care as a PRIMARY provider. She'd look at all the lab results, scans, transcription reports from other doctors no matter who ordered the stuff. That way, if she notices a trend in my bloodwork, then she can help identify what's going on. My health care is spread so far over the Philadelphia map at this point that it's hard for me to tell what's what...and I'm pretty on top of things. Sorry I'm rambling on...tired and just overly hopeful that tomorrow is going to be a good thing. My GI doc recommended this internal med doc to me because his wife goes to her and thought she was good. That's always a good sign! Plus my GI doc is one of the best doctors I've ever met. Please think some extra good thoughts for me!! And I may as well add, please think good thoughts that I'll stay awake enough tonight to care for 3 babies and be first admit for the next one that's born needing specialty care...I'm in the transitional nursery tonight which is mostly populated by drug withdrawing babies. There isn't an abortive on the market that could make that scenario desirable for a headache sufferer... ;) hehe Hugz, Carrie :) |
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Title: Re: Turning a new page for tomorrow.... Post by sandie99 on Mar 23rd, 2006, 2:47pm Carrie, my thoughts will be with you tomorrow. [smiley=hug.gif] I hope that brighter days without pain and nights with good, peaceful sleep are on your way. :) Best wishes, Sanna |
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Title: Re: Turning a new page for tomorrow.... Post by LadyElaine on Mar 23rd, 2006, 2:50pm I will think of you. I know what you mean about going to all the different doctors. Use to be we had one doctor who did just about everything. I think my Mom has like five different doctors. |
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Title: Re: Turning a new page for tomorrow.... Post by tanner on Mar 23rd, 2006, 2:51pm Carrie, I am very much in the same boat ! The difference is I wouldn't have it any other way. My GP scares the hell out of me when he pretends to know how to deal with my head, my spine, or my liver. So I happily go to my different specialists and let them feed info back to him which scares the hell out of him which makes us even ;;D ............................tim |
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Title: Re: Turning a new page for tomorrow.... Post by cootie on Mar 23rd, 2006, 11:02pm Good luck with the new doc ! I just went thru that not long ago myself.....I was scared shitless......startin over with all this back/joint crap for me and Brad's head issues was lookin like a nitemare. The new doc had our medical records faxed and on his laptop in front of him when we both went to meet him.....shew......that made some of it easy. He's an internalist and I rather go to ONE doc myself.....I just feel specialists have special prices and want to do special tests and special treatments......I don't want to go thru a medical treatment gauntlet and it also adds up money wise. But......it depends on what's wrong of course !!!!! So far this new doc is able to treat everything and even tho he is a bit opinionated on things he still sits and listens and doesn't try to RUSH thru the appointment. I really do think malpractice is SUCH a big threat and issue with alot of docs that maybe they are reluctant to treat sum issues and give out certain meds. Hope things go well for ya.........doctor doctor give me the news Pam |
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Title: Re: Turning a new page for tomorrow.... Post by Dragnlance on Mar 24th, 2006, 9:03am Hey Carrie, since it is now tomorrow ;;D I am thinking of you today!. Good luck, and my fingers are crossed that everything turns out well!! Lance |
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Title: Re: Turning a new page for tomorrow.... Post by Lizzie2 on Mar 24th, 2006, 2:12pm Thanks!! She was AMAZING!! I really liked her a lot. First she told me she recognized me from being around Jefferson. Then we talked a bit about my job in neonatal. I gave her my typed up medical history stuff, and she asked me a lot of questions and made a bunch of notes on the pages. She listened to all my questions and was very thorough. She's actually the perfect doc for a woman to go to - she seemed like she was so much more in tune with issues that women deal with that many men internal med doctors just kind of overlook. She really was saying almost exactly what I've been trying to say for all this time - putting things together that have always fit perfectly together in my mind when my other doctor and all the specialists were constantly compartmentalizing things into their own issues. I'd initially thought I'd walk away from there with her telling me exactly what specialists she felt I needed to go to, and for what problems. Oh no - she can do it all herself. If I wasn't going to a few of the specialists already, I think she would have covered those bases, too. Even though a lot of tests have been done in the past, she wanted to repeat some of them because it's been awhile and things can definitely change. With respect to the rheumatology issues, she ordered another test for lupus and she told me that sometimes she'll have people tested 12 times and on the 13th time, the result comes back positive. If someone is showing symptoms of things, you just need to keep checking them periodically to make sure... She wants me to have a repeat DEXA scan for bone density as the one I had over a year ago showed osteopenia. She wants to see how one now compares to that in order to see if we need to treat before it gets to osteoporosis...especially due to the fact that I don't have regular menstrual cycles because that means I don't have regular amounts of estrogen going to my bones to strengthen them. She also wants me to get a echo with bubble that will look for a PFO, which has been discovered to be a lot more common in migraine sufferers - they have really zeroed in on that in more recent years. I haven't had an echo for a few years, and the last one I had was not a bubble echo. She ordered a ton of lab tests, which they did right then and there. Many of the things, I've never been checked for. She just had so much knowledge. She really was great. Guess all those good thoughts worked because this was EXACTLY what I've been needing all this time!!! Now we just have to hope that we can figure out what is going on through all these tests. I'm not saying I want them to find something bad, but many things are treatable - and half the battle is figuring out what you're trying to treat! I'm just so happy this all worked out. :) So now that I've been awake since like 7pm yesterday and actually only slept about 2 hours yesterday, I'm totally going to crash. I worked my last night shift for awhile last night and then had PT and 2 doctor appts this morning. I'm beat!! Hugz, Carrie :) |
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Title: Re: Turning a new page for tomorrow.... Post by echo on Mar 24th, 2006, 2:16pm on 03/24/06 at 14:12:52, Lizzie2 wrote:
She wants Me! Life is good |
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Title: Re: Turning a new page for tomorrow...Updated - GR Post by Dragnlance on Mar 24th, 2006, 2:21pm :D What fantastic news!!!!!!!! You are correct, half the battle is knowing. I hope it is some easily cured problem that just was hiding so could not be treated. I am keeping the positive thoughts headed your way!! Lance |
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Title: Re: Turning a new page for tomorrow...Updated - GR Post by Lizzie2 on Mar 24th, 2006, 2:27pm LOL Mark - she's only like in her early 30's and very stylish...looks like you're in luck if she wants you... hehehe ;) Lance - Thanks!! I don't think anyone has any idea how bad I've needed this to happen. I'm finally starting to feel like I'm NOT crazy and I'm not the only person that goes for years, bouncing from doc to doc looking for the answer. I told her what some said here about sometimes you just need the right doctor to order the right test. That was with respect to her persistence in wanting to recheck a few tests I'd had before, even when the usual doc would probably just say, "We did this before and it was negative. There's no point in doing it again." I know it sounds crazy, but it's like a dream come true that she sees this the same way I do. Maybe I'll reaquire some hope in the world of medicine after all. Carrie ;;D |
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